User Reviews

I respect what the creative teams behind this lackluster effort were going for. In a perfect world, this would have enabled an American audience to witness Batman, as seen by Asian culture. Unfortunately, despite their lofty intentions, this turkey doesn't fly.

A lot of other reviewers have taken to providing an episode by episode breakdown. I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to get to the meat of the problem with this film.

Batman is a distinctly American creation, not an Asian one. I have no problem with anime and can count several anime titles in my DVD collection. However, as much as I like the style, it doesn't fit the character. Worse, it doesn't fit the voice actor.

Anime is, by nature, hyperkinetic and bombastic. People don't get shot in anime. They blow the f--- up. Bad guys aren't just punched. They go flying through the air and, quite often, through walls on the way to the ground. This style of animation and storytelling can work with some of our comic book characters (I'm thinking the Hulk or the Flash). However, it doesn't work with Batman--especially seeing as how this is supposed to be the hyper realistic Batman Begins version.

The lack of fit between the character and the styles in which he was rendered became even more glaringly obvious when he spoke. Kevin Conroy is the penultimate Batman voice actor, in my opinion. Yet, in this anthology, he was all wrong. This was not his fault, because, according to the commentary track, the animation was already done before he started recording audio. Therefore, a lot of the time, his voice doesn't quite line up with the character's mouth. This is pretty much the same for all the other actors. But, since he's taking on the lead role, it becomes doubly obvious with him. Also his calm, collected, and driving tone, while still the sh--, does not quite flow with the over the top visuals either.

Then there's the art style itself. With respect to the creative teams involved, episodes 1-3 were bad, in both style and writing. On their own, with another property, they more than have merit. But, seeing as how this is a Batman story, they just weren't on track. They made this longstanding pop culture icon appear to be paunchy, then monstrously musclebound, and then, finally, a little less than masculine, with their visuals. With their writing they made him out to be somewhat mentally obtuse, alternately dangerously arrogant, and, once again, a bit less than macho. Thankfully, the latter three episodes were by far better. But, by then, the damage was already done.

A lot of tremendously creative and talented folks invested themselves into this, and I definitely respect their courage for trying something original. But, sometimes, you have to be honest with yourself and admit when things aren't working out. Some things just don't fit, no matter how much you force it.

As we are introduced to this movie, which by the way,has no introduction and or narrative. We are left to assume that this series of movies will guide us through or at least help explain certain aspects of the recent Batman movies featuring Christian Bale.

And while the "episodes" explain a certain aspect of Batman,they end up leaving the audience with even more questions.As this was an all animated feature, I expected a huge ensemble of animated action and quotable one liners that provide us with more reason to follow this particular series.Unfortunately from the very beginning,we are treated to sub par animation and even less dialog.

It's easy to say that the first two "episodes" are an introduction to how the city view's Batman,which I enjoyed for a brief moment.Not because I didn't decide to,but rather that the episodes are so short,that I wasn't given enough time to thoroughly enjoy them.I have a fondness for animated action,and although action was in each episode,not enough was shown and or animated well.

Now I'm sure this will be compared to the Animatrix as each episode in Gotham Knight, begins with a black screen labeled with a one liner or phrase.But for me thats where the comparison's end.I felt more animators and or companies could have been reached for certain episodes.

In conclusion Batman Gotham Knight is a lackluster journey into the world of Batman.Now it isn't all bad,when the movie starts winding down we are introduced to a more darker and more complex Gotham, but by then the movie is asking for a clinging lining of faith,even for a fan.

The DVD is an anthology of short films created by various anime studios, quite similar to how the Animatrix DVD was produced. There are 6 short films on the set.

"Have I Got A Story For You" is a tale of four skater kids who witness a fight between Batman and a high-tech robber, albeit at different times and locations. The animation is the same style as Tekkonkinkreet and "Beyond" (from Animatrix). It is the most interesting style on the disc and atypical of what modern anime has to offer, showing that some animators in Japan are ready to move on from the persistent tropes that many of us sat through in the 70's and 80's. The story is a simple one, but the twist is that every kid has a different interpretation of the Batman, and the animation illustrates their perception of him, not the reality. As such we get a wide gamut of powers and character, all of which are interesting and a joy to watch. 9/10 "Crossfire" shows two cops who have different opinions on Batman. The animation itself was generally poor, as much anime is - relying on style and detailed backgrounds rather than range of expression or body language. In this case the style itself was nothing to write home about. The action was, for the most part, melodramatic and trite. 4/10.

At this point I should mention that Kevin Conroy, who voices Batman in the other Bruce Timm productions, is cast once again as the dark knight in all of these shorts. This is a shame because while I think Conroy does fine work on all previous incarnations, I feel that the disparity of styles on this project lends itself to try out some new blood. Gotham Knight seems to want to introduce new and unexpected takes on Batman and I find Conroy's reintroduction works to counter that.

"Field Test" is about a personal, bullet-deflecting force field that Batman tries out. The story is an interesting one, though the ending is weak. The animation is traditional hackneyed manga style complete with pointy chins and bad hair. 4/10 "In Darkness Dwells" is a slightly clumsy story involving Scarecrow and Killer Croc. The animation in this one is something a little different and lends itself well to the character. The action and intensity is pretty solid with only a few minor gaffs - I would say this is the second best of the six shorts. 7/10 With a good premise but a disjointed and somewhat lackluster telling, "Working Through Pain" has some of the most grounded yet dynamic animation. 5.5/10 "Deadshot" introduces the villain of the same name. This short has probably the most engaging of plots especially since we get enough time with the enemy to learn something about him. The animation is stylistic and like "In Darkness Dwells" it works well for a Batman story, though the now time-honored misuse of CG animation over traditional art is appropriately unsettling. The action is way over the top, which I imagine many anime fans embrace as it can often be typical of the medium. 7/10.

Batman:Gotham Knight, a tie in Anime direct to DVD feature to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is a wonderful, well done, excellent piece. One of the best Anime features I have seen. It is slightly better than The Animatrix which is similar to Batman: Gotham Knight. Batman: Gotham Knight features six segments, each written and drawn differently.

Segment One, Have I got a Story For You: A group of youngsters at a Skateboard park tell stories about their encounter with Batman. Each one is different and there is a neat twist at the end. This one featured the best special effects of the Six and its also the lightest but you can't even call it that because the tone of the story is still pretty dark.

Segment Two, Crossfire: Two Gotham detectives, part of the new Major Crimes Unit or MCU which is ran by Lt.Gordon have different view points of Batman but their viewpoints are changed forever when they encounter Batman at a fight between rival mobs ran by Sal Maroni and a new comer, the Russian. The dialog in this one is the weakest but it makes up with awesome action sequences and character development.

Segment Three, Field Test: This story, we get to see and learn more about the gadgets Batman uses and his moral code when it comes to fighting crime and this one features more of the gang war between Maroni and The Russian. This one has probably the best dialog and character development of the six segments.

Segment Four, In Darkness Dwells: Batman hunts Killer Croc who was a victim of Scarecrow's fear toxin and experiments. During the hunt, Batman encounters Scarecrow and his "Cult". This one was probably my favorite despite the fact Killer Croc is not in this but a minute or two.

Segment Five, Working Through Pain: This segment explores Bruce Wanye's training he uses to fight crime and working with a local "witch" Cassandra who teaches him the techniques he will use to fight crime in Gotham City. This one has really good visuals and an interesting story, in fact this one was almost my favorite segment but the blood and gore is a bit of a turn off especially at the beginning.

Segment Six, Deadshot: Batman battles an assassin Deadshot. This one had the best pacing of the six and the final fight with Deadshot was brilliantly animated and fun.

Overall, Batman: Gotham Knight had its flaws but they were minor flaws and I highly recommend this DVD to any die hard Batman fan or to anyone who plans on seeing The Dark Knight.

Batman Gotham Knight is the second film in the DC animated direct-to-DVD line-up. Superman Doomsday was the first in that line-up. While, I did not find it great, I was entertained by the film. I overall thought it was okay. Gotham Knight, however, I was very disappointed with. Since I liked Superman Doomsday, I had high hopes that the creators would learn from their mistakes with that film, and this movie would be better. However, what I got was a very disjointed mess.

Gotham Knight is six separate stories in one film. Honestly, that is probably the biggest problem with the film. There is no wrap around where all the stories tie in. The stories are very self-contained. This does not feel like a complete film.

To make it worse half of the stories are uninteresting and also poorly animated. A different animator worked on each story. In some stories the animation was great, but in other, it is mediocre or just bad.

I'm not a fan of "I've got a story to tell you," "Field Test," or "Working Through Pain." I'm not a fan of the animation and I do not find the stories engaging. When those stories were playing I was wanting to fall asleep. I do like "Crossfire," "In Darkness Dwells," and "Deadshot." I liked the animation and the action scenes. So all-in-all the stories are a very mixed bag.

The voice acting was good. Kevin Conroy comes back to voice Batman, which is a plus. He is easily one of the best aspects about the film. The animation is a mixed-bag, like I mentioned earlier. The action is also a mixed bag. In some stories the action is good, but in others it is boring.

Overall, I'm going to have to say that you should skip this one. There are many better animated Batman movies to check out like Mask of the Phantasm, Return of the Joker, Under the Red Hood, etc.

Since these are separate cartoons I will review them individually.

Have I Got A Story For You

Clearly inspired by the classic Legends of the Dark Knight from Batman: The Animated Series, Have I A Story For You tackles the different perspectives one can have while witnessing Batman battle a foe. Unfortunately it lacks the humor from the original and has a very lackluster ending. The art style also proves quite disappointing unless you're enamored of low quality anime toons. 2 out of 10.

Crossfire

An improvement over the previous title, Crossfire is about two officers, one being Crispus Allen, reflecting over the change of Gotham city as a result of Batman's presence. Not bad, just not great. Neither the characters nor the setting of Arkham are properly explored, but the shootout is quite enjoyable. And I for one would have preferred them to use a much more well known supporting character like Harvey Bullock. 6 out of 10

Field Test

The most personally offensive chapter, Field Test has Batman receive a nifty gyroscopic device that can reflect pistol fire. I was very disappointed in this story for the simple reason that Batman is turned into a wuss: He cares not that his attacks can easily injure and possible kill a person, yet he cannot cope with the guilt of a bad guy falling victim to a ricocheting bullet. A properly portrayed Batman would never dispense with perfectly good technology over such an insignificant incident. Also, it's particularly ludicrous that Bruce Wayne is drawn in this cartoon as a young Japanese man, which (while I realize makes a certain amount of sense due to the anime production of these shorts) is a complete distraction given that the other characters are drawn ethnically accurate. 5 out of 10.

In Darkness Dwells

Batman encounters Scarecrow. The second of the best shorts - I fully enjoyed this one. This felt like a very good episode that can easily stand with Batman: The Animated Series. I don't want to spoil it anymore because it is quite good. 8 out of 10

Working Through Pain

Promising in the beginning yet quickly flat lines. Bruce Wayne learns spiritual meditations to subside pain. Overall I think this was well intentioned and perhaps would have made sense as a component of another cartoon, but it just didn't work out on its own. The ending especially confused me - WTF was with all the guns he picked up before getting rescued (ugh) by Alfred? 2 out of 10.

Deadshot Gotham Knights ends on a high note with Deadshot. Deadshot is certainly the best of these shorts artistically speaking, and the simplistic yet satisfying story delivers as well. Batman battles lesser known foe Dead Shot, who has been contracted by mobsters to eliminate their foes in Gotham. I enjoyed the brief reappearance of Allen and his partner, which provided a dose of continuity with the previous short. 9 out of 10.

While I was rather disappointed with this DVD, I would recommend renting it just for In Darkness Dwells and Deadshot. Special props go to voice actor Kevin Conroy who returned to his role as Batman once again. It was also satisfying to see blood shed in a Batman cartoon; unfortunately, the blood was a bit of a double edged sword - at points I felt it was overused and thus lost its effectiveness. If you are excited to see "The Dark Knight" and looked forward to "Gotham Knight," I strongly recommend as an alternative, "Batman: The Animated Series" from the 1990s, which has yet to be rivaled by any other Batman cartoon.

-Okay, so DC has released there 3rd movie in their line of DC animated movies. None have been "great" per se, but they're pretty decent. I have to say though, as far as "Gotham Knight" goes, I'm pretty disappointed. -The film uses six interlocking stories that take place between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". Various anime styles and writers are were involved with each piece. -The main problem with this film to me personally is that it doesn't have enough heart. Its just too gruesome and too violent. I know I know, its Batman right?! It should have those things, but it has them to an excess. Although there are a few moments at the end of the piece which has a little heart, which made for a good end. Another problem is that the film's shorts only last for about 12 minutes as well, so that by the end of the movie you don't quite feel that the movie actually pays off. Not to mention the film doesn't feel that its in continuity with "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". -One of the good things that definitely helped the film is that they were fortunate enough to have Kevin Conroy around to make the voice of our Dark Knight sound familiar. Otherwise an unknown probably would have been awkward and cold sounding. Conroy's Batman is to me the definitive Batman.

"Have I Got a Story for You"-Some pretty nice animation, although the story seriously lacks and some of the designs are too funky for me.

"Crossfire"-Some cool looking styles in here, the story is interesting, but still lacks.

"Field Test"-Not in love with the style, but Batman is not a total psycho, which is good. Some good ol Batman morals in there as well, which is also good.

"In Darkness Dwells"-Ties in the most with "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". Stylistically speaking looks the most like "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" as well. Really cool story, really cool visuals as well.

"Working Through Pain"-Good love interest. I'm not in love with the style, but its okay. Decent short.

"Deadshot"-One of the best if not the best. Really cool looking, nice animation, and solid writing. Explores why Bruce hates guns. Really nice Batman background.

-Overall, its kind of a mixed bag, but its still okay. For the most part some pretty impressive visuals with "decent" writing. B-